So, you worked you butt off, didn’t take any days off and its time to reward yourself!
I really do not like the word cheat day or cheat meal as it carries negativity with it and in all reality, you are rewarding yourself for all your hard work.
I know some people, especially on the Ketogenic diet are highly against any kind of cheat day and I completely understand it but for me I need to toss one in the mix every now and then. Though a cheat day I find is different for many people. Some people will keep on track with their macro’s and still stay away from carb but ignore calories for the day and have that extra piece of bacon. Hey if that is what you need than go for it.
For me I need to carb up. My reward for everything is usually pizza. It has always been my favorite food since I can remember. Come holiday time too I allow myself to enjoy it with my friends and family. I am a big believer in the Ketogenic diet and love all the benefits I have been blessed with since doing it but I don’t want it to define who I am. If a family event is happening I don’t want to have to sit out because chicken has breading or something along those lines.
I usually try and space my cheat meals out a minimum of two weeks. In that time, I work hard at Jiu jitsu and working out at home. I want that cheat meal to feel like something I earned. It feels more rewarding that way! There are times it gets hard of course as I will sit and let the wheels in my head start turning but I just think back to all the progress I made and press forward.
Well here are some great tips I have figured out to have a successful cheat meal/day:
· Don’t over buy. I have made this mistake in the past with buying too much candy, chips, pop, pizza, etc. Only to have it carry over the next day. That will then turn into a few days binge and that is good for no one.
· If you choose to go with only a cheat meal then make it only a meal. If you choose its going to be a cheat day than be careful and leave it only at that. You never want to over do it and then fall completely off track.
· Workout! Just because it’s a cheat day doesn’t mean you get to be lazy with your workouts. Personally, I like to save a cardio style workout for these days. I enjoy getting a good sweat on and burning those delicious calories.
· Don’t feel guilty! This is something I have felt in the past, like I let myself down after eating my cheat meal. This is a reward for all your hard work so why punish yourself. Don’t bog yourself down. As well if you do feel guilty maybe space it out to three weeks instead of two weeks and really push yourself during those three weeks.
· Have food prepped for the next day! I find that coming off a cheat meal day is sometimes hard. I will make another post about the steps I do when getting back at her after a cheat meal day but the big big big thing I do is have good food ready to go the next day. I find if I sit around and dwell on the delicious carbs I ate the day prior I tend to leave the door open to the idea of maybe extending it just one more day.
· Your weight will go up the next day, well it does for me but I don’t let it kill me. Again, this was a reward for all your hard work and if you get back on the horse and push forward the results will keep coming.
Well these are just a few tips I have been doing myself when it comes to cheat meal day. I know where are tons of other things and maybe even better things that can be done on a cheat day but this is just a few things that have kept me on track and aided me on losing 85+ pounds this year as I started out at 300+ pounds and now being 215 pounds.
What are a few things you like to do on your cheat meal day? What food do you prefer to have or do you even do a cheat meal? I would like to know what everyone’s take is on cheat meals.
I did not do any cheat meals for the first 6 weeks of ketogenics to make sure my body was mostly keto-adapted.
now, I do one to two days a week of carb-ups where I eat whatever I want that I can not as part of a ketogenic protocol
That's awesome! Yeah I was hardcore keto for all of January myself. I found it pretty hard at first as I got the Keto-flu for a few days but after that I was pretty determined. After you carb up do you find it hard to get back in the swing of things again?
I find for a day or two I have to kind of push through it, though it all depends on just what I do for those cheat meals.
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